David Njoku's first Pro Bowl with Browns coincides with transition to team-first mentality
BEREA — A couple of phone conversations between David Njoku and coach Kevin Stefanski proved to be significant moments in what has become a memorable season for the seventh-year Browns tight end.
After Njoku dropped three or four passes in a 13-10 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on Nov. 19, he FaceTimed Stefanski while catching balls from the JUGS passing machine he has set up at his house.
And after Njoku made the first Pro Bowl of his career Wednesday, he said Stefanski called him with “a heartfelt message” of congratulations.
Those behind-the-scenes conversations illustrate how much Njoku has progressed with Stefanski and the Browns, who will rest some key players in Sunday's regular-season finale at Cincinnati because Cleveland (11-5) has already secured the AFC's fifth seed in the NFL playoffs.
Njoku didn't allow a disappointing individual performance against the Steelers to derail his season. He has been dominant as a receiver in the past four games, boosting his season totals to a team-high 81 catches for 882 yards and a team-high six receiving touchdowns. Those figures also represent career bests for Njoku, and it's not even close.
“It was just a bad game, honestly, but that doesn't really define me,” Njoku said Thursday. “I never lost confidence in myself or the team. It was just more so something that I had to get off my chest.”
Njoku's confidence in the Browns had wavered in the past, though, resulting in him asking for a trade in the summer of 2020 when Stefanski and General Manager Andrew Berry were new to their jobs and after the franchise had signed tight end Austin Hooper in free agency and drafted tight end Harrison Bryant in the fourth round.
Despite the trade request, the Browns stuck with Njoku, who arrived in Cleveland as a first-round draft pick (No. 29 overall) from the University of Miami in 2017, when Berry served as the team's chief talent evaluator and held the title of vice president of player personnel.
Njoku eventually rescinded the trade request, the Browns kept him with the fifth-year option on his rookie contract and ultimately signed him in May 2022 to a four-year extension worth a maximum of $56.75 million.
Njoku said his relationship with Stefanski is “night and day” compared with how it started.
From ages 20 to 27, the Browns have seen Njoku grow up. Perhaps nothing is stronger verification than Njoku conceding his adoption of a team-first mentality led to his first Pro Bowl nod.
“As crazy as it sounds, throughout my whole career it was mostly about stats and how many yards I can get, how many touchdowns I can get,” Njoku said. “In the one year where I felt like, not that I didn't care about [stats], but more so the team was more important than me, is the year that I make it [to the Pro Bowl]. So it's really funny how that all works out.
“It's different mentalities. Twenty-year-old David was not thinking of the team as much. I was thinking about the team, but not to this extent. And me now, that's all I think about every day. What can I do to help the team get better? Sometimes it's more mental. Sometimes it's physical. So I just do whatever I can to help.”
Asked if there is a lesson to glean from prioritizing the team and then making the Pro Bowl, Njoku said, “I think so, yeah. We, not me.”
Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt said he couldn't be happier for Njoku because he has “done nothing but keep his head down and work.”
Although Njoku is in his seventh NFL season, Browns wide receiver and fellow Pro Bowl pick Amari Cooper said “the sky's really the limit for” the tight end “because I can see him continuing to get better each and every year.”
The longest-tenured member of the Browns, six-time Pro Bowl left guard Joel Bitonio has witnessed the roller-coaster ride Njoku has taken with the organization.
“The way he's matured and the way he's been a core part of this team and one of our leaders, one of our playmakers, it's been special,” Bitonio said. “And the little run he's been on, catching passes and making plays for us, I was so pumped for him when I heard he made [the Pro Bowl] because of just the change he's made.”
Njoku said his mentality shifted “probably after my face got burned off,” a reference to the injuries he suffered Sept. 29 during a home firepit accident.
“I started noticing I was caring more about what the team needed to win more so than what I needed to be happy,” Njoku said. “And by doing that, it also made me happy.”
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The Browns clinching a playoff berth with their 37-20 home win over the New York Jets on Dec. 28 made Njoku enthusiastic enough to indulge in some celebratory drinks with Cleveland fans after the “Thursday Night Football” triumph.
“I did some wild stuff,” Njoku said, “but it was awesome.”
Now Njoku wants more reasons to party. He said “that ring and that trophy” are on the minds of the Browns with the Jan. 13-15 wild-card round on the horizon.
“I'm happy with how we are so far, but the job's not finished,” Njoku said. “We're nowhere near done, so there's not really a reason to be happy yet.”
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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: David Njoku says putting Browns first led to Pro Bowl season
